Article Directory :: Pets & Animals Articles How to Reduce Dog Food Allergies By Jane Dinunzio Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 16Sep2009 Word count: 514 Viewed: 664 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site Dog food allergies manifest themselves in several different ways. Dogs that are intolerant to certain foods may have physical problems such as diarrhea, vomiting, gassiness, or bloating of the stomach. Food allergies are caused by an immune system reacting inappropriately to the present food that is being ingested. This is when we try to find the offending food to decrease or eliminate the problem. Dogs also suffer other symptoms due to actual allergies rather than intolerance. The dog food allergies can include such afflictions as itchy skin, which is a common problem. This itchiness is usually noticed on the dog's sides, tail, butt, paws, face and ears. The incessant itching, scratching and licking is sometimes as irritating to us as it must by for your dog. The itching, scratching and licking can cause sores and "hot spots" and lead to infections, so eliminating the allergy is of the utmost importance. An obvious food allergy will show up soon after switching or changing your dog's food. This is then usually easy to fix by removing the new food from the diet. Adding only one new food at a time over a period of many weeks will help define which foods your dog can tolerate. The difficulty of finding a cause for dog food allergies becomes more challenging when the allergy starts after your dog has been on the same food for years, and no new food changes have been recently introduced. This is the immune system reacting to a sudden sensitivity to the allergen, and is harder to figure out what has caused this problem. In this case you will have to start from scratch to try and eliminate this dog food allergy. First you will have to completely stop the usual food altogether. This is a drastic measure, and we have all read to introduce new foods slowly, but in this case you have to start your dog on a new food suddenly, rather that gradually. Put your dog on a diet consisting of foods to which he has never previously eaten. If you have always feed a lamb based protein source kibble, then try a chicken based kibble. Many foods for dogs with allergies are completely grain free, because grains are a known allergy causing ingredient for many dogs. It may take a few weeks for the allergies to start to settle down on the new diet. This new diet should consist of the bare minimum of ingredients. The fewer the better. There are many excellent high quality, chemical free, grain free dog foods available which have just the very basic ingredients necessary for optimum health. Always consult a vet if the symptoms are sudden and severe. There are also many other types of allergies that are not food related, such as infestation of parasites and fleas, environmental or even seasonal allergies. These should be eliminated as the cause of your dog's problems and are treated differently than dog food allergies. It is not always a quick process, but if you can relieve your dog of discomfort, it is worth time spent investigating. By checking out the ingredient lists and analysis of these special foods, you can make an informed decision. I had a dog with allergies and after years of trying different treatments, including expensive treatments at the vet, I found and reviewed the foods here as being the best premium foods to reduce dog food allergies. EasyPublish™ this article - publishers click here More articles by Jane Dinunzio

Free Report! Ten Essential Secrets Of Article Marketing ... Grab Your Free Copy Now: We respect your privacy. Need Content? Regular Top Quality Content for your Blog, Ezine or Website ... Delivered Direct, For Free! Click For Details Arts & Entertainment Automotive Business - General Computers & Technology Finance & Investment Food & Drink Health & Fitness Home & Family Internet Marketing/Online Business Legal Pets & Animals Politics & Government Reference & Education Religion & Faith Self-Improvement/Motivation Social Sports & Recreation Travel & Leisure Writing & Speaking

More pets and animal articles:

• Is The Price Of Dog Food Breaking The Bank? - Money Saving Tips (Timothy Capper)
  A useful tip on finding the best priced product is bulk buying. Calculate the unit price of your pet's foodstuffs. The unit price is determined by dividing the retail price by the number of units. The key to buying in bulk is to store the product in user friendly quantities.

• Homemade Healthy Dog Treats (Timothy Capper)
  You should also avoid adding too many sweeteners, salt or spices to the dog treats. Dogs are more sensitive to these flavors and require much less seasoning than humans do. Whenever you try a new treat with your pet, make a small batch first and test to make sure your pet likes them and there is no stomach upset

• Raising Organic Turkeys - Vital Tips Before You Order Your Turkeys (Andrew Grey)
  If you are considering raising organic turkeys, the first thing you need to think about is where to get your poults. You have the option of ordering them by mail or simply sourcing them from a local breeder. We recommend the latter because while mail-order poults will work, the journey from the breeder to the mail post puts unnecessary stress on the birds.

• How To Raise Cattle For Beef - The Most Effective Way To Raise Cattle (Tim Smith)
  In how to raise cattle for beef, there are numerous strategies for you to follow. However, there is an efficient way among all of those, and you can learn from it here. Cattle farming is a delicate business venture, as it has more parts to it from others. Not only are you worried about production, you are taking into consideration the welfare of your cows, which are living things compared to other businesses which have machines in those roles.

• Some Best Reasons To Buy Your Pet Supplies Online (Dirik Hameed)
  For anyone who owns a much loved and cherished pet, they will know that buying the best pet supplies for their pets is important to them. However, pet supplies from the high street or supermarkets can sometimes prove to be costly so many people are now using the internet to purchase their pet accessories where the lower cost can help in these hard economic times.

• Choosing From The Range Of Kong Toys For A Puppy Is Great Fun (Dirik Hameed)
  Dogs have always been known as mans best friend due to their loving and loyal nature and continual excitement when their owner walks through the door. For these reasons, your pet dogs should be treated just as well with gifts such as Kong toys or a canny collar.

• Information On Ways To Train A Dog On A Headcollar (Dirik Hameed)
  If you are training your dog on a headcollar for the first time, it can be a daunting prospect. But with the help of these tips the process shoud be quicker and more enjoyable.

• Get Ready For The Equstrian Events At This Summers Olympics (Timothy Capper)
  First to be held this year is the eventing competition, which consists of dressage for the first two days, then cross-country, and finally winding up with jumping. Medalists will be determined by those who have the best overall score in the three events, with both teams and individuals competing. This competition starts on July 28 and winds up on July 31

• Flying Horses In Style (Timothy Capper)
  The trip to London will be considerably easier than the trip to Hong Kong for the 2008 Olympics, when 303 equine competitors flew in several stages to the Olympic venue before boarding air-conditioned floats to their destination two hours away

• Parrot Dust Air Purifiers----5 Best Features To Have (Debbie Davis)
  If you live with a healthy parrot, dust, bird dander, and feathers are a fact of life for you and your bird. The right air purifier can make the air cleaner all the time, and there's no down side to that. Here are 5 best features for an effective cleaner to have.